


The Children You Adopted Along the Way

by momo0231



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: And there's a little bit of repetition if that isn't your thing, Because I know Merle loves Angus somewhere deep down, Drabble, Gen, Somewhat a character study on Merle as a whole, Very very deep down, but specifically how he feels about Angus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-26
Updated: 2017-03-26
Packaged: 2018-10-10 22:09:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10448634
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/momo0231/pseuds/momo0231
Summary: Merle Highchurch hated kids.Merle Highchurch hated Angus “I’m smarter then all of you combined” McDonald.Taako and Magnus might be falling under the kid’s spell but not him. Nuh uh, no way was he going to let that punk charm him.





	

Merle Highchurch hated kids.

Merle Highchurch hated Angus “I’m smarter then all of you combined” McDonald.

Taako and Magnus might be falling under the kid’s spell but not him. Nuh uh, no way was he going to let that punk charm him. Just because he treated all three of them like they were top shit and always nice to them even when they took his stuff didn’t mean Merle had to like Angus.

He didn’t feel guilty about it, but he avoided Angus when he could because he was annoying. Not because he was guilty.

One time, Mavis said something that sounded so much like Angus that he almost let an insult slip. To his own daughter, and Merle actually hesitated in talking that made her turn to give him a curious look.

Merle hated children, but he loves his own so much it made his heart hurt. It made him proud how well they have done without him even though it hurt that he missed important milestones in their lives.

Maybe one day he’ll be able to make them proud of him.

Merle hated children, but he wanted the best for them. He wanted them to not make the same mistakes as he did in his youth.

Angus followed him when he went to see his kids. For one horrible second Merle was scared because that damn kid could tell someone. What if that someone was a person that wanted him hurt. Except that was a dumb idea. Angus was annoying, but he never wanted harm to befall them.

And wouldn’t you know it, his kids loved Angus. The next time he went back without him and they spent the first five minutes asking about him which was more than Merle ever wanted to talk about Angus.

He asked Angus to come with him the next time he saw Mavis and Mookie, because he loved his kids and he wanted them to be happy.

Merle hated children, because he knew he was a deadbeat dad. A part of him wanted nothing to do with them because he didn’t want to mess them up again. He couldn’t even keep Magnus and Taako at full health on a good day, let alone take care of actual children. It scared him.

In a way, Angus McDonald scared him.

“Merle! Get the fucking kid!” Merle’s head snapped to Angus who was trying to get himself back on the ground that hadn’t dropped out from under him. He was struggling though and couldn’t get a good grip on anything but the grass which just was pulled out of the ground. It looked like he was going to fall any second and Merle didn’t think he could reach him.

“Merle!” Taako sounded almost frantic. He never should have gotten attached to the boy.

The dwarf started to make a break for the edge, but his short legs couldn’t go fast enough and Angus was starting to fall. His human hand reached up to his wooden arm and pulled as hard as he could. The arm popped off in an uncomfortable way and before he could think about how he never wanted to do that again he threw it towards the hole where Angus was. “Kid! Take my hand!”

As the arm fell on the grass, the stump end planted itself into the ground, roots holding it in as it reached out towards Angus. All he could think, all he could command his arm to do was to make sure Angus was safe.

The boy reached for the hand, but that action caused him to lose grip on the side of the hole and suddenly he was falling. Merle didn’t even hesitate as he reached the hole and jumped down.

He grabbed his wooden hand and grabbed Angus by the scruff of his shirt holding on as tightly as he could while he tried to remember how to breathe. Angus wrapped his arms around Merle’s leg and looked up at him, fear written over his face but they were safe. “Thank you sir. You- you saved my life!”

The dwarf grumbled, kicking Angus in the stomach a little, but his grip never loosened on his shirt. “I didn’t want to, but now you’re dead weight to me. Climb up and get the hell out of here.”

Merle Highchurch hated kids. He wanted nothing to do with them because he wasn’t the dad any of them wanted or needed. At the end of the day though, he loved all of them, from his actual children, to Taako and Magnus, all the way to one boy detective Angus McDonald.

Merle ran away from his first shot at a family and from his children, but he wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice.

**Author's Note:**

> The last relic is the children you've adopted along the way
> 
> Me @ Griffin: Please let my children be happy
> 
> This was written super quickly so I'm sorry if it shows


End file.
